Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1887-06-17
CHAPTER XXI.

1nlSnlnB packing Une carU WIN Sucn rev
goods as they possessed. There was not much
chance of its being of any material use, for
he did not in the slightest degree expect that
they would get the pass; but, as he cheer
fully said, it was as good an amusement as
any other.
81 say, JESS" he sung out presently, "come
here"
"What forl" answered jess, who was seated
on the doorstep mending something, and
looking at her favorite view.
Because l want to speak to you"
She got up and went, feeling rather angry
with herself for going.
"Well, !" she said, tartly, "here | am. What
is it"
81 have finished packing the cart, that's
alln
"And you mean to tell me that you have
brought me round here to say thatp
Eyes, of course have; exercise is good for
the young.n And then he laughed, and she
laughed too.
1t was all nothing-nothing at all-but
somehow it was very delightful Certainly
mutual affection, even when unexpressed,
has a way of making things go happily, and
can find something to laugh at anywhere,
Just them who should come up but Mrs,
Neville in a great state of excitement and,
as usual, tanning herself with her hat.
"What do you think, Capt. Melt the
prisoners have come in, and l heard one of
| the Beers in charge say that he had pas
| signed by the Boer general for some English
people, and that he was coming over to see
about them presently. Who can it bef'
at is u.s." said Jess, quickly. 1--WE are
going home. l saw Hans Coetzee yesterday,
and begged him to try and get US a pass, and
l suppose he has"
my world going to get out' Well, you
are luckyl Let me sit down and write a let
ter to my great uncle at the Cape. You must
| post it when you can. lie is 81 and rather
soft but dare say he will like to hear from
me-" and she bundled off into the house to
give her aged relative (who, by tho way,
abored under the impression that she was
still a little girl of 4 years of age as minute
an account of the siege of Pretoria as time
would allow.
"Wel, John, you had better tell Mouth to
put the horses in. We shall have to start
presently" said jess.
"Ay," he said, pulling his beard thought
fully, III suppose that we SHALL adding, by
way of an afterthought: care you glad to
goF'
"No!" she said with sudden flash of pas
sion and stamp Of the foot, and then turned,
and entered the house again.
"Mouti,' said John to the Zulu, who was
lounging around in a way characteristic OF
that intelligent but unindustrious race, "in-
span the horses. We are going back to Mooi-
fonteln."
"Koos' Chief, said the Zuuunconcernedlr
and started on the errand as tlou,h it were
the most every day occurrence TO drive off
home out of closely beleaguered town. That
is another beauty of the Zulu race; YOU can
| DiCl,f
that that, to them, extraordinary mixture of
wisdom aud insanity, the white man, is, as
the agnostic French critic said in despair of
the prophet Zerubbabel, capable de tout"
John stood and watched the inspGnning
absently. The fact was that he, too Y l5 con
scious Of sensation of regret. He felt
ashamed of himself for it, but there it was;
he was sorry to leave the place. For the last
week or SO he had been living in n dream, and
everything outside that dream was blurred
and indstinct as a landscape in a fog. He
| knew the things were there, but he did not
quite appreciate their relative size and posi-.
ton. The only real thing was his dream; all
else was as vague as those far Off people and
events that we lose in infancy and fin again
i'll old age.
And now there would be an end of dream.
| ing; the fog would lift and he must face the
facts. jess, with whom lie had dreamed,
would go away to Europe and he would
marry Bessie, and all this Pretoria business
would glide away into the past like a watch
in the night. Well, it must be so; it was
right and proper that it should be so. and he
for ono was not going to finch from his duty;
but he would have been more than human
had he not felt tho pang of awakening, 1t
w;s all so very unfortunate.
| Rv tbis TINA Month bu1 cot tbn bor-,- nv,
and asked if he was to inspan.
"Nol wait a Bit" said John. Every likely
it is all rot" he added to himself.
Scarcely were the words out of Lis mouth
when he caught sight of two armed Beers of
peculiarly unpleasant type and rough ap
pearanco riding across the vellt toward
"The Palatial" gate, escorted 10y four car
bineers. AT the gate they stopped, and one
of them disnounted and came up to where he
was standing by the stable door.
"Capt. Niel'' he said interrosativcly in
English.
"That is my name"
"Then here is a letter for YOU" and he
handed him folded paper.
John opened tit had no envelope-and
read as follows:
"SIR-Tho bearer of this has with lin
| pass, which it is understood that YOU desire,
| giving you ana MISS jess IrOLta Sdie conduct
to Mooifontein, in the Wakkerstroom district
of the republic The only condition attached
to the pass, which is signed by one of the hon
orable triumvirate, is that you must carry no
dispatches out of Pretoria. Upon your giving
your word of honor to the bearer that you
will not do this he will hand you the pass"
This letter, which was fairly written and
in good English, had no signature
| "Who wrote this2n nSEp1 John of tina Roar
| THAT is no affair of yours" was the curt
reply. "Will you pass your word about the
dispatches"
| Eyes"
Good Here is the pass, and he handed
| over that document TO John. 1t was in the
same handwriting as the letter, but signed by
| the Boer general.
John examined it and then called to Jess to
come and translate it. She was on her way
| round the corner of the house as he did so,
having heard the voice of the Boer.